Thursday, September 14, 2017

5 Tips For Choosing The Best Baby Bottles!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SimplyBonding #CollectiveBias

I was looking back through old photos of Madison when she was itty-bitty in my womb, causing all sorts of pelvic pain and sleeplessness, and then of when she finally made her debut as a tiny newborn, and the sleeplessness really set-in. She was such a doll!

And as tough as those first few weeks were, they were also incredibly short. And, I would

gladly go through another sleep-deprived night if it meant I got to hold her as a tiny little thing again!

There's just such a unique and beautiful bond that is created when everything your baby needs is provided by you.

And, while I know Madisondoesn't need me quite in the same way as she used to, I will continue to hold onto her, for as long as she lets me and be in awe of this beautiful little person she is becoming.

There are certain things you learn the third time around as a mom that make you appreciate the little things in life (like having amazing bottles on hand for when your baby is ready to make the transition). The biggest lesson I learned from Madison was that every baby is different. The things that worked well for my first two didn't work at all for my last. And that's okay! Here are five tips I've learned since having my third...

5 Tips For Choosing The Best Baby Bottles!

1.Determine Whether Glass or Plastic is Right for You

Nowadays feeding bottles are fairly regulated and they have standards to uphold. When I was pregnant with Mallorie, the whole BPA free movement had just started. The “good” bottles were BPA free and the “bad” bottles were not. At this point, basically, everything is BPA free, and there is way more criteria to differentiate the good bottles from the bad ones.

Initially, I wanted to use glass bottles out of fear of using plastic however, glass can be really expensive, prone to breakage and with many brands the silicone sleeves you can buy are also expensive and a pain to get on and off for cleaning.

In the end, I went with Simply Natural bottles from NUK. They are a super high-end crystal clear Tritan plastic that is BPA free. The Simply Natural bottles also won’t absorb odor or color & stand up to the heat of dishwashers (on the top rack) over and over again. Plus they're easy to use, assemble & clean.

2. Only Buy What You Need

Babies can be very finicky about which bottle they'll drink from, so don't go out and buy a huge set before knowing that your baby will like them. Your best bet is to purchase a couple of the most realistic, natural mom-like bottles and go home to try them on the baby.

3. Nipples

The nipple, the vessel that delivers the milk to the baby, comes in various shapes, sizes, material and flow levels.

There are three general shapes of nipples on the market, orthodontic, bell-shaped and flat-topped. I prefer Orthodontic variety since they have a familiar fit and are better for baby’s growing teeth (since the flat portion of the nipple goes on the baby’s tongue). My preferred brand for this is the NUK Simply Natural bottles because of how well they fit into baby's mouth and naturally because it's shaped just like a nursing nipple.

4. Flow Matters

Consider the flow speeds, most bottle brands have 3-4 flows available. Slow, medium, fast (Stage 1, stage 2, stage 3). NUK Simply Natural bottles have 3-9 holes, depending on the flow rate you need,which means you can adjust to suit the needs of your baby. So, if you have an itty bitty baby, you might want to opt for a slow flow nipple that has three holes. And, If you have an older baby, they might do okay with a faster flow rate and nipples that come with more holes.

5. Ease of Cleaning

This is the most over-looked aspect of picking out a baby bottle. Your baby’s bottle will need to be cleaned out every single time you use it. Combine all of those cleanings with the constant washing required of breast pump parts, and you have a recipe for some very dry hands. There are plenty of bottles out there with complicated vents that have multiple pieces with lots of crevices. Do yourself a favor and check out the components of the bottles you are considering before you buy.

The NUK Simply Natural bottles I chose have a single piece that's built into the nipple and are very easy to clean. I was actually shocked by how simple they were to use, assemble and clean.

These NUK Simply Natural Bottles are pretty amazing, and perfect to have on hand for when your baby is ready to make the switch to a bottle! My favorite part is that they're designed to be just like mom’s breast (with 3 to 9 nipple holes, depending on flow of nipple), giving the baby a close-to-mom feel from the bottle so that you can continue to have a special breastfeeding bond, even when you aren’t breastfeeding.

You can find the NUK Simply Natural Bottles at Babies R Us along with the rest of their fabulous line of breastfeeding items! Keep an eye out for them on the end cap in the feeding station!

If you’re looking to purchase baby bottles for yourself, a friend or a loved one, you can pin the image above and it will be waiting when you’re ready!

Don't forget to follow and interact with NUK social channels for potential offers and giveaways, especially for Simply Natural September!